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"I promise one day I will take you," he swore, staring through the viewing window as longingly as I. "But I do not want the sirens to know yet, that now I have the same means as they."
I didn't point out, that the sirens still had an advantage, the Leandars would run out of air, no matter how large their tanks were, much sooner than them. I didn't need to, Myles knew this as well as I.
So longingly I kept staring out the window, until we had well passed the last columns and crumbling houses of Attourna.
"Will you declare war on the sirens?" I finally asked.
He laughed, "Ney, but they need reminding that they don't hold the power on Oceanus, I do. The renewal of our trade agreements is coming up and I think I will be able to get much better terms this time. Thanks to you."
It didn't matter to me how he got his quanip and graff, because it wouldn't be from us—unfortunately—so I stayed quiet.
"After we finish this ugly business with the Chrymphten, I will speak to Susserayn Myccael. And you and your brother and I will enter another treaty, one that will keep the ruins of your little together and afloat, alright?"
His words didn't assure me much, because first we had to get the ugly business with the Chrymphten taken care off, as he so eloquently put it. I was under no illusion, that it would be ugly and dangerous. I was most disturbed that Nathan would be on his own through all this, then again, he had been on his own with it from the start. Not filling me in until he absolutely saw no other way out any longer.
I sighed. I had to trust that things would work out, because anything else was unthinkable.
We reached Aecor, the city that housed Myles's palace, it was a breathtaking view. As far back as I could remember, Horn had never come close to Aecor, making me wonder why.
Long piers stretched out like wagon wheel spikes, docked to them were several vessels of different origin, I even noticed a couple belonging to other human groups. That wasn't though what caught my attention, that was reserved for a multitude of glass like towers, rising from the ocean, reaching far off into the sky, glinting like diamonds in the sun. But even though they appeared to have been made from glass, they weren't see thru. Silhouettes moved through some, but most held an opaque hue, that the naked eye couldn’t penetrate.
Walkways encircled the towers, leading up as if hugging them like the tail of a snake. Those were filled with Leandars moving up and down on whatever errands they were on.
There were so many, I gave up trying to count them.
The wagon wheel spike like piers all ran toward the city, where large walkways and platforms were filled with more Leandars—and a few humans. Some were tending tent like stores, others were busy perusing or buying the wares.
The Nautica, laid anchor at one of the piers, and Myles helped me on to the platform. He assured me my meager belongings would be brought up to my chambers, leaving me to stare my fill at the new sights.
We walked up to one of the towers, looming over us even larger and bigger now than they had appeared from a distance.
The lower floors were filled with bars, taverns and inns. Some more raucously entertaining than others. Sirens slithered in and out of them, their snake like eyes searching for prey or victims.
Myles noticed my slowing pace and put his hand on my hip. "They won't hurt you."
I had never seen a siren up close, but the stories I had heard about them had filled my nightmares for many rotations. They resembled exactly what I had been told. A beautiful torso sitting atop a very long serpentine tail, topped with heads that were either breathtakingly beautiful or horror striking ugly, there was nothing in between.
They also had the most amazing hair in common, long and shiny, with the kind of beach curls a girl would kill for. They came in all shades of the rainbow, light green, dark green, orange in all variations, yellow, pink, purple, whatever color you could think of, was represented.
Myles presence made sure we received everyone's attention, as Leandars and humans stopped to bow their heads, sirens tilted theirs speculatively at him and narrowing their eyes at me, hissing with their split tongues.
"I wonder why they don't like you humans," Myles mused as one particularly enraged siren nearly snapped at me and he had to physically push her back.
"Because we don't fall for their siren song," I explained absentmindedly, watching a Leandar and a siren enter an establishment from which loud music and laughter erupted.
"You don't fall for their siren song?" Myles stopped. "What do you mean?"
"Their songs, the way they lure sailors to the death?" I tried, but he just stared at me uncomprehendingly.
"They sing?" I looked at him questioning.
Myles shook his head. "I have never heard them sing."
"The way their voices sound?" I tried again.
"They are very pleasing," he nodded.
And then I understood. "You don't even know how they ensnare you? You are just enraptured by them."
